o had stolen all these
things during the short time I had been in my tent, certainly not
exceeding half an hour. The night was very windy and I had heard nothing,
besides I was encamped in the midst of a very dense brush of large
wide-spreading tea-trees and other bushes, any of which would afford a
screen for a considerable number of natives. In daylight it was
impossible to see many yards in distance, and nothing could be discerned
at night.

The natives must have watched the dray go away in the morning, and waited
until dark for their opportunity to rob me; and most daringly and
effectually had they done it. At the time that I lay on the ground,
taking the star's altitude, they must have been close to me, and after I
went into the tent, they doubtless saw me sitting there by the light of
the candle, since the door was not quite closed, and they had come quite
in front to obtain some of the things they had stolen. The only wonder
with me was that they had not speared me, as they could scarcely have
been intimidated by my individual presence.

As soon as I missed my horizon glass, and entertained the suspicion of
natives being about, I hurried into the tent and lighting a large blue
light, run with it rapidly through the bushes around me. The effect of
this was very beautiful amidst the darkness and gloom of the woods, and
for a great distance in every direction objects could be seen as well as
by day; the natives, however, were gone, and I could only console myself
by firing a couple of balls after them through the underwood to warn them
of the danger of intruding upon me again; I then put every thing which
had been left outside, into the tent, and kept watch for an hour or two,
but my visitors came no more. The shots, or the blue light, had
effectually frightened them. They had, however, in their turn, produced
as great an effect upon me, and had at least deprived me of one night's
rest.

September 20.--Rising very early I set to work, with an axe, to clear
away the bushes from around my tent. I now discovered that the natives
had been concealed behind a large tea-tree not twenty yards from the
tent; there were numerous foot-marks there, and the remains of
fire-sticks which they had brought with them, for a native rarely moves
at night without fire.

By working hard I cleared a large circle with a radius of from thirty to
forty yards, and then piling up all the bushes outside and around the
tent, which was in th